Family running out of time to move Jahi McMath

A court order preventing Children's Hospital Oakland from removing Jahi McMath from a ventilator expires Monday at 5 p.m.

December 29, 2013 6:20:56 PM PST

by Sergio Quintana

OAKLAND, Calif. --

Time is running out for an Oakland family who's struggling to keep a 13-year-old on a ventilator. A court order preventing Children's Hospital Oakland from removing Jahi McMath from the ventilator expires Monday at 5 p.m.

The 13-year-old has been on that ventilator for more than two weeks following complications after a tonsillectomy. A special prayer was said Sunday for Jahi at an Oakland church.

Members of the All Faiths Church had hoped to help Jahi's family with money to move her to another facility. But the event that was planned for 3 p.m. Sunday was cancelled at the last minute.

Instead, the pastor for Jahi's mother led those assembled there in prayer. He is one of the organizers of the event. He says the family is still working very hard to line up a medical facility that will accept the teen and keep her on a ventilator.

But they were informed Sunday that a Southern California site they had been hoping on has decided against receiving her.

"I was informed, you know, via the attorney to not have the fundraiser because we're still trying to solidify a facility for Jahi and we definitely don't want to raise funds, you know, for something that is not iron clad," Pastor Derrick Mann said.

The family had launched an online crowdsourcing page to raise money to transfer Jahi. As of Sunday afternoon, they'd reached their goal of $20,000.

On Sunday, Children's Hospital Oakland spokesperson Sam Singer held a news conference. He says they have not been contacted by any alternate facility.

"We have not heard back from Chris Dolan, the attorney for the McMath family, so we don't really know where things stand," Singer said.

We've also been trying to contact Dolan. We have not received a response yet.

There was word from the family this weekend that two facilities were considering accepting Jahi. The Southern California one has fallen through, but organizers here say they have not heard back from a facility in New York that was also under consideration.